Tag: Law

MADRID - Smokers stubbed out their cigarettes in tapas bars and restaurants across Spain as one of Europe's strictest anti-tobacco laws came into force on Sunday.
After a one-day amnesty granted for New Year's Day, the new law banning smoking in all bars, restaurants and public places - including even some outdoor areas - took effect at the stroke of midnight Saturday. It was a shock for many Spaniards for whom the cafe culture - lighting up with a few friends while enjoying a

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/LAHORE/QUETTA - Violence flared on Friday as police and protesters clashed during a mass protest strike that closed businesses across the country over a bid to amend the blasphemy laws.
Markets remained closed and roads deserted in the otherwise bustling cities of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Demonstrators said their goal was to defend the honour of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Hundreds of protesters in Islamabad marched from Lal Masjid

PESHAWAR - All parties were on the same page on the floor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly on Thursday against any possible attempts to amend the Blasphemy Law.
Responding to points raised by opposition members, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti said the ruling parties would be a step ahead of religious parties to protect the Blasphemy Law.
"The entire House members will be on roads to mark protest if someone attempted to amend the law," Hoti

ISLAMABAD - State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sumsam Ali Bukhari has stated categorically that there is no proposal to amend the anti-blasphemy act as the Namoos-e-Risalat is a sensitive matter not only for the religious-political parties but all Muslims.
Addressing a press conference at the PID Press Centre on Thursday, he said that neither the Pakistan People's Party nor the government has discussed the issue to bring any amendment in the blasphemy law.
The

LAHORE - Blasphemy laws should not be amended and any such attempt would not be tolerated, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said on Monday.
He was talking to journalists after meeting Jamiat-e-Ulema Pakistan (JUP) President and Tehreek-e-Namos-e-Risalat Convener Sahibzada Dr Zubair Ahmed at his residence.
Shujaat said that the PML-Q would not let anybody to amend the blasphemy act, as a new pandora box would open that would not be

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Thousands rallied in major cities of the country on Friday threatening further protests and anarchy if the government moved to amend a controversial blasphemy law.
Demonstrators marched in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Multan, after influential religious parties called for protests to defend the law.
A crowd of nearly 1,500 people gathered in Lahore, calling for 'Jihad' and pledging to sacrifice their lives to protect the honour of holy Prophet Mohammad

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said the government would take all appropriate measures -administrative, procedural and legislative - to stop the rising misuse of the blasphemy law.
Talking to a delegation of parliamentarians of minorities led by Minorities' Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the president said the government would not allow anyone to misuse the blasphemy law against any one for settling personal scores.
The president hailed the role being played by

KARACHI - Under the watchful eye of thousands of law enforcement agencies' personnel, the commemoration of Ashura in Karachi concluded on a peaceful note.
Several small processions from various parts of the city convened at the Nishtar Park to join the main Ashura procession, and around 10 am, the procession started moving forward along its designated route, and ended peacefully at the Imambargah Hussainian Iranian in Kharadar Police and other law enforcement agencies provided

LAHORE: The Flag March of the Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) and the Police Mujahid Squad was held in the provincial metropolis on Tuesday to keep security on high alert and to send out a strong message to terrorists.
Several Lahore police and Punjab Rangers officers including Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Nadeem, Major Junaid, Rangers Superintendent Naveed, Deputy Superintendent Javed Khattak and Superintendent of Police Mobile Squad Muntazir Mehdi participated in the Flag March. The

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari has said at least thrice on record that blasphemy laws would be amended regardless of any opposition to the move, former federal information minister Sherry Rehman said on Monday.
She was speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, called by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), primarily to protest the abuse of the blasphemy laws to arrest a doctor in Hyderabad.
On Friday, Dr Naushad Valiani had an altercation with a

Angelina Jolie is calling for a new law to protect celebrities and their families from unscrupulous photographers who get too close to stars' kids. The Hollywood actress has six children with her partner Brad Pitt and the famous family is a regular target for the paparazzi.
Jolie admits some snappers scare the youngsters by getting too close, and although she doesn't want to stop the photographers doing their job, she wishes a law was in place to force them to keep their distance

LAHORE: While rejecting the proposed parliamentary committee to review the blasphemy law, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Fazl-e-Karim on Tuesday warns that if Islamabad dares to change the law, they will bring the country to a standstill and the government will not be able to rule anymore.
"The Lahore High Court's decision to stop the president from pardoning Aasia Bibi is laudable, as he has no right to indulge in religious matters. We have constituted a committee, which

LAHORE: Protests for and against blasphemy laws were held in the provincial capital of Punjab, on Sunday.
A protest against blasphemy laws and persecution of minorities was organised by the Institute for Peace and Secular Studies (IPSS) on Sunday at Mall Road opposite Punjab Assembly.
The protesters raised slogans for the repealing of section 295-C and other discriminatory laws from Pakistan Panel Code. The participants demanded that the state to stop the persecution of

LAHORE: Nobody endorses blasphemy but Article 295-C is a man-made law and has been misused, Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer said on Saturday. He made these remarks while addressing the 146th Convocation of the Forman Christian College (FCC).
Taseer informed the audience that several people had warned him not to go to blasphemy accused Aasia Bibi's city but he received great support from the people and now everybody had the courage to talk about the issue. The governor urged

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry for Minorities Affairs has initiated work on the formation of a broad-based special committee to review the blasphemy law, however, Pakistan Today learnt on Saturday that the body was likely to fail in accomplishing the task.
The committee, which is being formed on the directions of President Asif Ali Zardari, is likely to fail in making any breakthrough as, according to a source in the ministry, some of the prominent religious leaders have refused to work

ISLAMABAD: Salvation and survival of the country rest upon rule of law and the implementation of the constitution, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Saturday.
Addressing the fifteenth roll signing ceremony of newly-enrolled advocates of the Supreme Court, the chief justice said, "After 63 years, we have been able to understand that our salvation and survival rest upon rule of law and the implementation of the constitution."
Urging lawyers

ISLAMABAD: The federal government will not allow anyone to misuse the blasphemy law, Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said on Friday.
After attending a meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Minorities, Bhatti said, President Asif Ali Zardari had directed that a committee consisting of experts and scholars be set up to revisit and review the existing law so that innocent people could not be targeted.
He said a blasphemy case against Asia Bibi